Kien R. Dalton, 19, Greenfield
HANCOCK COUNTY – A Greenfield teenager originally arrested on felony drug charges had his case settled in Hancock County Superior 1 last week and will not spend more time in jail.
Kien Risley Dalton, 19, 100 block of Roosevelt Drive, was arrested in March of 2023 and charged with a Level 3 felony count of possession of cocaine, a Level 4 felony count of possession of cocaine and a Level 6 felony count of possession of a narcotic drug.
Dalton was facing up to 16 years in prison for the most serious charge. However, the Level 3 and the Level 4 felonies for possession of cocaine were both officially dismissed January 24. Dalton admitted guilt to the Level 6 felony and was given a one-year term in the county jail, all of which was suspended to probation by Judge D.J. Davis.
Court records state Dalton’s mother was given possession of the firearm in this matter and was told to legally sell the firearm during the course of Dalton’s sentence.
According to a probable cause affidavit, an officer with the Greenfield Police Department pulled Dalton over for erratic driving on March 28, 2023. When asked to see his driver’s license, the officer noticed how nervous Dalton was as well as a Ziplic baggie, which officials say Dalton was trying to hide. When asked what was inside of the baggie, officials noted Dalton was evasive.
The officer also noted in the report a strong odor of perfume that appeared to have been freshly sprayed was coming from the car. Based on training and experience as a law enforcement officer, the policeman noted that as a common attempt to mask the odor of narcotics from police detection. When asked about firearms in the vehicle, Dalton advised there was a rifle in the trunk, officials said in the report.
According to the affidavit, police also recognized Dalton from a previous intelligence bulletin advising he was involved with a criminal gang that was involved in trafficking and the sale of large amounts of narcotics, and serious violent crimes involving firearms offenses in the area.
Due to the concerns, the officer requested a K-9 and the dog alerted for the presence of a narcotic odor when conducting a search around the vehicle. Inside the car, officials located a bottle of perfume in the center console and a odor-masking spray in an aerosol can laying on the front passenger floorboard, the affidavit said.
Also found inside the car, officials noted in the report, was a baggie with part of a gray and white plantlike substance that resembled a shroom (a psychedelic mushroom), a prescription pill bottle labeled as “Hydroxyzine” containing multiple (48) round yellow and round green pills which officials noted filed tested positive multiple times for cocaine, and a Diamondback AR-15 rifle.
